Hello, World
by Justice Ike
Summary: A heavily pregnant Sally wakes up from a horrific nightmare,only to discover a surprise visitor in her house and that in truth,her nightmares have only just begun...  Sally/Callum pairing! Multi-parter. T for mild swearing later on. NOW COMPLETE.
1. Two Steps From Hell

**Hello, World**

**Named after the Song by Two Steps from Hell. Another Sally/Callum pairing. This time,not OneShot! Hoping to have 3 chapters,maybe. Please R and R!**

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_Sally awoke, only to find herself laying a field of lush, emerald green grass. She rose slowly and carefully, hand resting across her swollen abdomen, scanning the area around her. But Callum was nowhere in sight. It didn't particularly worry her; he had after all promised to protect her and keep her safe from harm. No. Not just her. Them; the both of them. She smiled slightly, rubbing her abdomen gently. It was then she caught sight of Callum._

"_Cal!" Sally called, spying the sergeant whirl around in response. Sally blinked at the look of fear etched on his features. Why the hell was he scared for?_

_A harsh bang filled the air, so loud and so sudden it made Sally jump, and Callum fell to his knees as if he had been shot. Sally wanted to scream and run to him, but could do neither. Her lips felt chained shut and her feet felt glued to the floor. Sally could only cry and watch in horror as her love began to fall face first into the ground and dissipate into a million pieces like glass hitting concrete._

'_Cal...' she choked mentally as her heart twisted and shattered for him, but the nightmare wasn't over yet. It was just beginning._

_As soon as Callum was gone, the smell of smoke filled her senses. The next thing Sally knew, the calming emerald around her had changed to blazing ruby as a hellish inferno took hold around her._

"_Run!" Sally swore she heard Callum's voice scream even though she knew he was gone. Arm around her abdomen as if to protect her unborn child from the flames, even though she knew it would do little to help, Sally ran, desperately seeking shelter from the blaze. But the blaze was already out of control, and it was easily keeping pace with Sally. She tried to run faster, but she was too heavily pregnant to move much faster than a shuttle walk. The heat was making her break into a sweat, which vaporized instantly as the flames lashed out at her._

_Suddenly, Sally found herself falling forwards, having misplaced her foot on the slippery grass and mentally swore at her own stupidity. Desperate to protect her baby, she twisted at the last moment, landing harshly on her hip. She screamed in pain as the bone crunched sickeningly. It only took Sally a couple of seconds to realise she has broken her hip and now wouldn't be going anywhere. Even though she had resigned herself to this fate, instinct compelled her to try and rise anyway._

"_Guuurgh!" She grunted, one hand on her hip, the other on her swollen torso. She could only watch in terror as the flames got closer and closer to incinerating them both. Curling up to protect her baby, for all it was worth, Sally scrunched her eyes tightly shut, waiting for hell to claim her._

_But the flames did not engulf her. Sally raised her head in confusion as the flames swirled in front of her to form a shadowy being which laughed manically at her, its cold deathly eyes boring into her own. Despite the fact the creature's gaze made her feel terrified and sick, she couldn't draw herself away from it. In a horrific way, those eyes were awe inspiring and beautiful, having some hypnotic quality that held Sally's gaze upon them._

_The creature sobered after a while, gliding with supernatural and demonic grace towards the young officer's rigid form, stopping at a distance that Sally would have deemed too close for comfort had she not been paralyzed. The creature reached out with a surprisingly cold hand, gently caressing the arm that Sally was using to protect her belly with. The officer flinched away from the touch, shocked by just how freezing the hand was, leaving her belly exposed._

_The creature's mouth twisted into a smile, licking what appeared to be its lips with a shadowy tongue, running the forked appendage across its teeth coldly. Before Sally had even realised what had happened, the creature had raised a foot and she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Then another blow. Then another._

"_No, please, stop!" Sally came to her senses, crying out in anguish. But it was no use. The creature knew she was now far too breathless to fight back, and kept on viciously kicking her. Sally moved her hand to protect her child, only to scream as a foot connected with her hand, crunching it. She screamed in pain, trying to cradle her now broken hand._

"_S'no mer time fer yer." The creature jeered in a much debased form of English, the first time it had spoken to her. "Yer's 'uffer 'ow I's done. S'ends, ner!"_

_The creature slowly bent down, grabbed Sally roughly by the neck and clamped onto it with a viscous bite that instantly drained her of her strength. That last thing she felt was a vicious kick in her abdomen, and her neck snapping in two._

_The Kiss...of Death..._

Sally awoke with a start, sweat pouring off her forehead like she really had been in a fire. She could still feel a sharp pain in her belly, so she sat up, clutching it gently. To her relief, it was just her unborn baby kicking her within, as if it could sense what a terrifying ordeal its mother had been though. Sally felt a tear trickle down her cheek.

"Oh sweetheart. Mummy thought she had lost you." Sally rubbed her swollen belly with the same gentleness as when she had clutched at it.

Feeling thirsty, Sally rose to get a drink. As she opened the door of her room, her abdomen clenched tightly for a moment, before settling down.

'_Braxton Hicks.' _Sally muttered in her mind. _'The girls did try warning me about those, didn't they?' _Sally laughed out loud at her own thoughts, before wandering down the corridor of her flat towards her kitchen. She wasted no time in pouring herself a glass of water, just about the only drink she could manage ever since she fell pregnant, before quietly drinking it up.

'_Not quite time yet, eh little one?' _Sally resumed her thoughts from where she left them. _'You'd better be good and not decide you want out before daddy gets back home, though...' _

Sally broke off her thought trail, hearing a loud rattle come from one of the other rooms in her flat. She froze, using her copper trained ears to listen out for the intruder, a zillion thoughts running though her head. At first, she thought it was Callum; after all, it was about time he was back. But he never came back home without announcing his arrival to the flat in spectacular fashion as he walked through the door. Which meant someone else was here... Sally raised the hand with her glass in it, poised to throw it if the intruder dared to step into the kitchen.

It wasn't long before the sound of heavy footsteps echoed into the kitchen, drawing nearer and nearer to her. The hand with the glass in it began to shake as the intruder rounded the corner and lifted his head up to face her. For a moment, Sally stood paralyzed with utter dread. All she could see was the burglar's masked face juxtaposed with that of the creature from her dream. She let go of the glass in silence, and it shattered on the floor so loudly it made them both jump.

Both eyes – Sally's sapphire and the burglar's emerald – locked, neither flinching from the other's gaze, neither even _blinking_. Another Braxton Hick caused Sally's abdomen to clench up, and she moved her shaking raised hand onto her belly. She spied the burglar's eyes following her hand movement, noting how their gaze turned to shock.

"What are you doing here?" Sally let out in one breath, her breath laboured from her previous pain.

The burglar didn't answer, but instead responded by taking a step forwards.

"You stay back!" Sally shouted at him, making him flinch. "If you go now, I won't call the police. You can see I wouldn't stand much of a chance against you."

The burglar took another step forward.

"Can't you see I'm giving you a chance?" Sally reasoned, mentally wondering if she could restrain him somehow. If only she had a pair of cuffs...

But the burglar would not listen to her reasoning. He kept inching forwards, until Sally deemed him too close for comfort. The last thing the intruder hadn't expected was for her to charge at him. Despite being encumbered with pregnancy, Sally moved at blistering speed across the kitchen. She spotted the glint of the knife too late, and barely had time to turn to shield her unborn child. The simple twist meant that the burglar plunged the knife into her upper left arm. Sally staggered backwards, collapsing by a kitchen cupboard, knocking a knife holder to the floor beside her in the process.

"Guuurgh!" She gritted her teeth in agony, pressing a hand down hard just above where knife was now embedded in her arm.

The burglar stared at her for a moment, almost appalled at what he had done. He cringed as Sally let out an ear piercing scream and clutched her swollen abdomen.

"Ahhhhh God, please, not now!" Sally let out in her scream. "Not here!"

The burglar finally gathered himself together and bent down next to Sally, seemingly to help her, until he reached for the knife in her arm.

"Get away from me!" Sally shouted, her pain giving her voice extra power. Picking up a knife from the floor next to her, she viciously plunged it into the closest part of her intruder – his left ankle.

The man yelped in pain, stumbling away from her, before limping out of the flat as fast as he could, leaving a breathless Sally wounded, in pain and panting for her life. Her vision blurred. She had never felt more tired in her life.

'_Callum...please. I need you here.'_

That was the last thing the terrified young officer thought before she closed her eyes.


	2. Run For Your Limbs

**Hello, World – Pt. 2**

**Now I know I said 3 chapters,but it might now be for! XD Thanks for all the reviews,keep 'em coming!**

**Edit: One of my friends pointed out I use Callum's name too often. I'll try and cull that down a little! Sorry!  
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Callum huffed angrily as he drove around near the Cole Lane Estate in his patrol car. Earlier that day, he had been involved in a drugs raid that hadn't gone according the plan, exactly – the team got the result, but at the expense of both himself and Smithy getting attacked by a frenzied drug dealer who had refused to come quietly. Callum had escaped with a badly sprained wrist and had used his asp to hit the man into submission, but not before his fellow sergeant had been slashed badly. Being the only other sergeant in work today, Gina had reluctantly requested Callum to cover for Smithy. Callum wanted nothing more than to get out of the station and get home to Sally, but unfortunately, Gina had gotten her own way.

"_You want me to cover for Smithy, ma'am?" Stone barely suppressed his anger._

"_You know I wouldn't ask you if another sergeant was in today." Gina replied quietly, her voice laced with sympathy. Not that it had much effect on the angered sergeant._

"_This week, of all the weeks! You do realise how close Sally is to her due date, ma'am?"_

"_Yes. I am aware, Sergeant Stone, but these things just happen."_

"_Sally could be giving birth __**right**__ now for all I know. I want to be there for her." Stone shook his head, gesturing angrily._

"_I know you do Callum, and if there was any way around this then we wouldn't be having this conversation. It's only for a couple of hours, until Rachael starts her shift at ten. And you have to admit, the extra money would come in handy, what with a new baby around the corner." Gina sympathised._

"_I suppose..." Callum reluctantly agreed, not really meaning it._

"_I really am sorry, Callum, but my hands are tied on this one." Gina opened her office door to let Callum out. As he exited, she added, almost as an afterthought: "Look, if I hear anything Callum, I promise I'll give you a call."_

_Callum paused momentarily, turning his head to nod at Gina, before resuming his walk to the back of the station to his patrol car. The faster he got out there, the quicker it would be over, and then he could go back home and attend to Sally._

He mentally laughed at the final thought of his flashback. How wrong he was! If anything, this stretch of overtime had gone by more slowly than Callum thought was humanely possible. It hadn't helped that he had only made one arrest tonight so far, and nothing really exciting had happened yet. The sergeant let out a hollow sigh of despair.

'_I'd rather do paperwork than be stuck out here all night.' _Callum thought, _'Which is saying something, because writing reports is almost as tedious as this is!"_

Callum decided there and then if nothing worth chasing up happened in the next 5 minutes, he was going to patrol the Jasmine Allen Estate. He had barely got to thirty seconds before he was forced to slam on the breaks as a man ran out in front of him, terror etched on his features. The patrol car's tires squealed in protest as Callum wound down his window.

"Thank God! Something terrible has happened; I heard a scream from one of the flats!" The man waved his arms hysterically at Callum.

"Ok, can you calm down, Mr. ...?" Callum answered.

"Tim. Tim Ardeman."

"Ok, Tim. Do think you can tell me where this happened?"

"Umm...it came from a flat...just down the end of the road."

"I know the place. Would you mind hopping in for me, sir?"

Tim complied without argument, quickly getting into the back of the patrol car. In less than a few seconds, the car was speeding through the estate at top speed, sirens blaring. Callum took this time to further question Tim.

"So, what exactly did you hear?" The sergeant enquired.

"Well, I was out feeding Bella..." Tim began slowly.

"Bella?" Callum interrupted.

"Isabella. The stray cat who adopted me. She rarely comes in the house." Tim explained carefully. "Anyway, I went out to feed Bella at my usual time, when I hear glass smashing. Now, I thought it were just kids; you know how they can be on the estate and I were about to think nothing of it. Then I hear shouting, then a scream. A woman's scream."

Callum paled slightly. He paused before he spoke. "A woman?" he uttered, "Are you sure?"

"I swear it on mine an' Bella's life, officer, I'm speaking the gospel truth. The scream sounded feminine to my ears. My sight may not be as good as it was, but I've hearing as sharp as a bat."

"Alright sir, thank you." Callum slowed the car down. "Definitely these ones on the left?"

"Most positively so, officer." Tim nodded slightly.

Without a word, Callum effortlessly pulled the patrol car up the block of flats, switching the sirens off as he did so. The car slowed to a halt and the sergeant got out, followed shortly by Tim.

"Please, sir, if you could please wait in the car..." Callum began.

"With all due respect officer, I'd rather come with you. If one of my neighbour's is hurt up there, I'd never forgive myself. After all, I am part of the Neighbourhood Watch team here." Tim interrupted, determined to go with Callum. "And plus, you need me to show you which flat it is."

"Fine. But you do what I do when I tell you to do it, alright?"

Tim nodded, and with that, the two headed up to the flat in question. The pair ran up several flights of stairs, before running along a couple of outside corridors. Callum ground to a halt when he realised Tim was no longer following. He whirled around with a start.

"Tim, what is it?" Callum snapped his question. "I thought you were helping me."

"This flat here is my house." Tim pointed to his door number, sixty. "I thought I heard the screams coming three doors down."

"Three doors down?" Callum echoed softly. _'Wait, three doors down? But that would make it...' _"That would make it fifty-seven, right?"

Tim nodded, only to recoil in horror as he witnessed Callum pale and begin to sway. He followed Callum when he dashed off to flat fifty-seven, concern in his eyes. It wasn't long before the pair arrived at the flat.

"Sally! Are you in there?" Callum called loudly, banging on the door harshly.

"You know her too?" Tim whispered incredulously.

"Know her? Sally is a colleague of mine." Callum nodded. _'And my love...' _Callum bent down so he was level with the letterbox, and began shouting through it. "Sally, it's Callum! Are you alright in there?"

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Sally struggled into a sitting position, desperately fighting the tiredness that was determined to bring about her downfall. Her left arm burned like the flames burned her in the nightmare, and her abdomen felt like it was being squeezed in a vice or a clamp. Her breath came out in short gasps as each contraction flared up and faded away into nothingness again, slumping into a heap as her body became too paralyzed to move. Sally began to cry softly as she tried to concentrate on her breathing, but she was too panicked. She just wanted Callum here by her side.

'_Callum...please...' _Sally could feel her consciousness fading again and her senses dulling. She didn't know how much more of this she could take...

"_Sally, are you in there?" _The far off voice calling to her ears barely registered with Sally. _'Great, now I'm hallucinating...'_ She slowly raised her head, groaning in pain, and tried to listen.

"_Sally, it's Callum! Are you alright in there?"_

Sally's eyes, which had slowly been shutting, now snapped open. Callum was here! She had to get his attention somehow, but the pain from being stabbed and being in labour meant that she couldn't stand, nor shout. Swallowing that pain, she began a dire search for something that could help her cause. Looking up at the work surface behind her, she spied something glinting from the outside light.

A shiny, metal bowl, just within reach if she could just stretch. Biting her lip and gritting her teeth, Sally stretched her right hand up, just as another contraction threatened to rise up and incapacitate her again. The situation became critical. If she didn't get Callum's attention now, then she never would. She fought a battle with tears and won, her fingers skimming the side of the bowl. One last stretch and she gripped it tightly. Despite her pain, Sally couldn't help but grin triumphantly at her accomplishment.

Using the last of her strength, Sally took the metal bowl and threw it to the floor with all her might.


	3. Hold Me

**Hello, World Pt. 3**

**Ok. Maybr 5 chapters lol. XD Keep up the reviews! Makes me write faster to satisfy you!****  
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"What the _hell_ was that?"

Callum had jumped spectacularly when he heard loud clattering coming from the flat, like metal hitting wood, but it was Tim who had cursed like sailor when they had heard the noise. Evidently, the sergeant had deciphered, that was his neighbour's way of jumping and it wasn't half irritating. How Sally lived with such neighbours before he moved in with her, he hadn't a clue.

"_Quiet!_" Callum hissed, boding Tim silent with a quick wave of his hand.

He silenced himself instantly, sensing that it probably wouldn't be such a good idea to tick Stone off, instead deciding it might be better to put his legendary hearing to good use.

After a while, Tim broke the silence. "D'ya hear anything, sergeant?" He asked almost tentatively.

"No, do you?" Callum was quick to reply, his breath condensing into the cool night.

"Nor me either, even with my bat hearing." Tim shook his head sadly.

"Maybe I should call her again." Callum bent down again, ready to call through the letterbox once more.

"Why don'ya look through the letterbox ins'ead?"

Stone stared up at Tim, suddenly having a light bulb moment. _'Now why didn't I think of that one?' _"Did anyone ever tell you that you're a bloody genius?" He gave Tim a smile.

"Nope. Never. Anyway, what d'ya see?"

Callum peered through the letterbox. He could see clearly right down the corridor towards the kitchen. Everything in the flat appeared normal until he got there. In the kitchen, he spied a bowl on the floor, glinting softly in the light, knives strewn everywhere, a foot twisted at an unnatural angle and _**blood.**_

_Blood. _A wave of nausea came over the officer, and he visibly paled. If he had been standing, Callum would have likely staggered back from the door. Instead, he swayed, looking like he might faint. He instantly regretted trying out Tim's idea. The said man next to him gave him a grave looking stare, his eyes betraying his concern as he moved an arm to steady Callum.

"W-what is it? What you see?" Tim's terrified voice was devoid of his usual slurred accent.

"Go and call an ambulance." Callum spoke so softly, and in such a deadly tone of seriousness, it made Tim jump in surprise. He let go of Stone's arm as he rose slowly and shakily, fumbling in his pockets for something. Whatever he was searching for, it appeared to be in vain. He stared at his feet for a moment, then the door lock.

'_Damn. Sal's gonna SO kill me if I break the door down.' _The sergeant thought almost absentmindedly. _'She only just got the lock sorted out. But then again, I'm dead if I don't help her, so either way I'm pretty screwed, aren't I? Stuff it!' _Callum bit his lower lip as he aimed at the lock. He was concentrating so hard he didn't even realise he had made his lip bleed until Tim broke his concentration.

"A-ambulance? Why?" he stuttered.

"Just...Just call one. And when you get back, wait out here. Go. _Now._"

Tim hesitated, before reluctantly running back to his flat to go ring for an ambulance. Sergeant Stone watched him go, before turning his attention back to the lock on the door.

'_Here goes nothing...' _Grabbing the hilt of his asp and readying it in one hand, Callum aimed a swift kick at the lock of the flat door. Hearing a satisfying crack of metal against wood, he wasted no time in finishing the job by shouldering the door in. Stone hit it was such force, he practically fell into the flat, his shoulder burning with pain. He strode swiftly towards the kitchen where he happened upon a most horrific sight. Strewn by the cupboards before him, Sally half lay and half sat, blood streaming down one arm and chest heaving laboriously, her good arm resting across her distended belly. She gazed at him with frightened sapphire eyes which were red from the tears that were now running down her face. Sally tried to speak, but no words would form on her lips.

She didn't have to say anything; he could feel her pain. When she needed him, he hadn't been there. But he was here now, and nothing was ever going to make him leave her side ever again. He crouched down and gently embraced her, carefully avoiding the trauma on her arm.

"Shhhh, I'm here now." Callum whispered soothingly, delicately caressing her cheek with his lips.

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Sally had almost drifted unconscious when she heard the sound of splitting wood and breaking metal. It was enough to shake her awake from a sleep that would surely have killed her. Through blurred vision, she gazed wearily down the corridor towards the door. There was another crack, and something tumbled into the flat - she could feel its footfalls drumming through her body – but couldn't see who it was. But as long as it wasn't the intruder coming back for another go, she couldn't care have cared less as another contraction tore through her. Sally panted, unable to scream, until it died down again. _Time. _How close were they together now? Sally had forgotten to time them. She abandoned that thought, it didn't matter. They were close enough together for her. Another contraction. Another period of nothing. How long would this go on for?

By this time, Sally felt another footfall, this time in the kitchen. She raised her head to gaze at the newcomer. For the first time that night, her vision had never been clearer as she found herself gazing upon the face of her lover.

If jaws could spontaneously fall off humans, Sally's would've smashed into the floor. She didn't resist Callum's embrace when he offered it to her.

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Finally, after what seemed an age, Stone pulled away from Sally, frowning at the knife that was deeply embedded in her arm. Reaching for some kitchen roll, he tied a strip above the knife to stem the flow of blood. He tried to be careful, but he still managed to make her wince.

"Sorry." Callum sighed. "How the heck did this happen, anyway?"

"I'm so stupid...Every copper knows burglars are rarely unarmed these days..." Sally breathed out sharply.

"Sally, this isn't your fault. It's that of the lowlife who put you in this position in the first place. If I ever catch him..." Callum spoke with a hint of anger that was softened only because he was trying to use a soothing voice to keep Sally calm, so the true extend of his fury was masked.

"Please..." Sally groaned, screwing her eyes shut in agony, "No heroics, Callum. Promise?"

"Promise." Stone rose slowly. "I'll be back, I need to make a call." He gestured to his radio.

"Do what you must, Cal."

The sergeant nodded, moving closer to the door for a better signal. "Sierra Oscar from 30, has an ambulance request been made out to Flat Fifty-seven, Cole Lane Estate yet? Over."

"_To Sierra Oscar 30, that is an affirmative. Ambulance is en route to current address. What is the nature of the emergency? Over."_

"Female. Pregnant. Serious stab wound to upper arm difficulty breathing, cannot stand. Currently at address and assisting. Could do with some backup. Looks like possible burglary. Over." Callum reported back.

"_Ok, 30 Backup and ambulance on way. We will update with ETA as soon as we receive confirmation. Over."_

"Thanks. I'll keep you updated this end. 30 out." Callum ended the radio conversation and relaxed for a moment, only to jump as Sally shouted his name at the top of her voice. He rushed back through to the kitchen only the find Sally doubled over and screaming the flat down. He crouched by her side.

"Shh, shh, Sal. What is it?" he whispered soothingly.

There was a period of silence as Sally's screams died down. During this time, she grabbed one of Callum's hands in a fierce grip. Callum noted how it was shaking, just as the rest of Sally was. She gave him the most serious look that was possible.

"Callum..." she whispered so quietly, it was barely audible, "It's the baby...I think the baby's starting..." The bewildered sergeant gave her a wild look of both shock and terror. Shakily, with his free hand, Callum reached for his radio.

"From Sierra Oscar 30. Urgent ambulance request, Flat 57, Cole Lane Estate. Female, gone into labour. Over."


	4. Touched by Her Hand

**Hello, World Pt. 4**

**Sorry,sorry,SORRY for the delay. I hope it was worth the wait! Please R an R as always!****  
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**"Ok, Sally, I want you to breathe slowly..."

Callum quickly took charge of the desperate situation that was unfolding before him. He barely winced when Sally crushed his hand by gripping onto it fiercely. She was crying softly from the intense pain she was in. Callum felt utterly helpless, but he knew he had to be strong for her and keep her calm.

"Nice and steady...just how you practised in the antenatal classes...that's it, you are doing great Sal!" He encouraged her quietly. "I'll be back soon; you just keep up that steady breathing." Stone tried to rise, but Sally's tightening grip on his hand stopped him.

"Cal, please, don't go..." she pleaded, giving him the most saddest gaze that she could possibly give him. Callum felt her fear piece into the depths of his heart.

"I'll be back, I promise." He tried to reassure her. "I need to make your more comfortable..." He broke off when he felt her hand tremble in his.

"I'm _frightened._"

The two words, uttered so softly, so timidly, sunk right into the very foundations of the sergeant's body. He crouched down beside his love once more, drawing her slightly to him.

"I know. I'm frightened too." He kissed her tenderly on the forehead. "But I give you my solemn word that we will make it through this."

Sally managed a nod, before finally releasing Callum's hand from her death grip. He rose, giving her one last reassuring smile, before striding quickly towards the entrance to their flat, Sally's last two words to him dancing around his head.

"_I'm frightened."_

The sergeant shut his eyes tightly, hollowly sighing. She wasn't the only one who was scared; he himself was utterly terrified. He was perhaps the only member of the uniformed relief that hadn't had the 'pleasure' of assisting a member of the public with delivering a baby yet. Even Sally herself had, Callum remembered. He was flying blind and didn't like it a single bit; antenatal lessons would only take him so far.

'_Don't you dare think like that, Callum Stone!' _He mentally punched himself. _'That ambulance will be here in time, and you __**will**__ stay strong for Sally.' _Callum opened his eyes with renewed determination, and his gaze fell upon Tim, who was waiting where he had been told to. He gave the sergeant a wild look.

"You alright, sergeant?" He asked, concern laced in his words. "Only, you seem a bit flustered."

"Yeah, yeah. I was just miles away, that's all." Callum assured Tim. "Do you have any blankets, towels, or anything like that?"

"I should do, but whatever for?" The wild look in Tim's eye returned.

"She's gone into labour." Stone gestured backwards, thumb pointing to the open door behind him.

"L-labour?" Tim spluttered uncontrollably, his voice once again devoid of his accent. His eyes went wide with fear. "Y-you mean she's pregnant?"

Callum raised an eyebrow. "You mean you never knew? You're her neighbour and you didn't know?"

"She never came out that much. And when she did, I never saw her."

Callum sighed inwardly. Some neighbours Sally had; they didn't even notice the blind obvious when it was put to them on a plate. He suppressed his annoyance. Being ticked now was not going to help Sally's situation. He shook his head gently.

"It doesn't matter. Do you think you can find those towels for me as fast as you can?"

"I'll try, sergeant." Tim nodded.

"Good. As many as you can manage, yeah?" _'Just in case the worst should happen...' _"I'll wait here for you."

Stone watched as Tim dashed off down the walkway to his flat, and silence fell around him. It was so quiet, he could hear the sound of Sally's laboured breathing – she appeared to be doing a great job at controlling it – and the sound of distant sirens – _'For us'_, he hoped in his mind. He knew they could all do with some luck tonight. He thought spell was shattered when he heard footsteps approaching him. Callum smiled at the friendly face.

"Will this do you, sergeant?" Tim dumped a whole pile of multi-coloured towels and blankets into the sergeant's arms, who staggered back from the surprising weight of the load.

'_Who knew a man like Tim would keep so __**many**__ towels...' _"Yeah, this should be more than enough. Do you think you could wait out here? It's just that..."

"You don't want to overcrowd her." Tim finished Callum's sentence for him, guessing what he was thinking, but wasn't going to say. "I understand sergeant, you go help her. I'll direct the paramedics up to you when they get here." He turned away, heading back towards his flat.

"Tim?"

The soft uttering of his name was enough to make him stop walking.

"Thank you."

Tim whirled around to face Callum once more. "No sweat, sergeant." He smiled slightly.

"Oh, and by the way Tim, the name's Callum."

"Well then, Callum. Standing out here talking to me ain't gonna help Sally now, is it?"

"No. No it isn't." Stone nodded before ducking into the flat.

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Sally was relieved when she finally felt the footsteps she had been waiting for drum through her. To her, it felt like her love had been gone forever. She gazed up at him, almost choking on her own breath when she saw him come in laden with towels. He quickly dumped them on the side, near the sink, before leaning against the work surface, eyes cast down.

"What are _those_ for?"

The sharpness of Sally's voice made Callum whirl around with a start, before visibly relaxing.

"It's all right, they're..."

"I'm _not _having our child here, Callum. Not like this." She could feel the tears welling in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, shhh." He strode over to her, crouching down beside her. "Let me change that, all right?" He indicated the now dark red kitchen roll tied on her wounded arm.

She merely nodded and let him work, barely flinching. The wound still stung a little, but the pain had mostly numbed away. The knife had probably severed a nerve, for which she was grateful for right now – it meant one less pain to worry about. She hadn't considered that she might have reduced movement in her arm in the future, meaning she'd more than likely have to retire from the Force. She bit her lip as she felt another contraction brewing.

"Callum..."

"It's ok, I'm here." He whispered soothingly. "Let's make you comfortable, hey?"

Callum rolled up a few of the larger towels from the pile to make a sort of cushion which he placed behind Sally's back, and folded up a blanket, placing it on top of the towel pile to make a sort of pillow to support Sally's head, as well as shield it from the hardness of the cupboard behind her. He felt her take up his hand again and squeeze it violently, forcing him to bite his lip in pain.

"Shh, shh. It'll all be over soon. Just keep breathing." He told her.

'_I swear, if he tells me to breath one more time...' _Sally thought before another contraction caused her to whine in pain. "Where the _hell _is that ambulance?"

"I don't know. I'll go chase it up, I'll be back soon." Callum reluctantly let go of Sally's hand so he could move to the hallway where he could get a better radio signal.

"Sierra Oscar from 30, what is the location and ETA of that ambulance? Over." He spoke into his radio.

"_Sierra Oscar to 30, ambulance is caught up in traffic on the High Street. ETA uncertain. Over."_

'_Great. Just great.' _Stone barely suppressed his annoyance.

"Roger that. 30 out." He let go of his radio, walking back to the kitchen where Sally got wind of his disappointment, anger, and underlying terror.

"Cal? What is it?" She questioned him.

'_Should I tell her?' _Callum wondered briefly, crouching down beside her once more. "Sal, I'm sorry..."

"What is it? Tell me, Callum!" Her pain gave Sally's voice added power.

"The ambulance...it's been delayed." Callum muttered, casting down his eyes.

"What!" Sally's shout almost raised the roof, before she bent over in pain. Stone steadied her shaking form with an arm, gently stroking her hair which was damp from sweat. There was a long, awkward pause before he spoke again, and when he did, it was barely audible.

"Sal...I don't think the ambulance will make it here in time. We are going to have to do this. Together."


	5. Fill My Heart

**Hello, World Pt. 5**

**Not much more to go! R and R as usual!**** Feel free to once again shoot me for my evil cliffhanging,muhaha!****  
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"Cal, I can't do this..."

Sally was shaking her head desperately, trembling beside Callum, who held onto her hand for support and comfort.

"Yes you can, Sal." The sergeant remained adamant. "You can and you will and you know why? Because I'm here with you."

"You are sweet sometimes, you know..." She broke off her reply, wincing in pain. She sunk down instinctively.

"All right. It's ok, just keep breathing, that's it." Callum moved his arms to support her. "Don't lie down, Sal. As comfortable as it may be, remember what the midwife said. It will only make the birth more slower and painful."

Sally nodding, inhaling and exhaling heavily. Her lower body was absolutely burning to the point where she actually forgot she had also been stabbed. She was just focused on getting this baby out of her as quickly as possible.

"I _never_ want to do this again." She breathed out sharply.

Callum could barely contain his laughter. "Whatever you say, sweetheart." He knew she was likely change her mind once the baby was safely delivered and in their arms.

Sally took in another sharp and laboured breath. "Callum, I think it's it coming..." She let out on the exhale.

"Ok, when the contraction comes, I want you to push as hard as you can. Feel free to crush my hand, whatever makes you feel comfortable, I don't mind." Callum whispered calmly to her. He felt her nod before she let out an ear piercing scream.

"AHHHH!" The torturing wail was almost enough to make Stone's ears bleed. He had to will himself not to run out of the flat.

"C'mon Sal! You can do it. Push!"

* * *

Back at the station, Gina was sat in her office, finishing up the last of some long overdue paperwork, including paternity leave papers for Callum which she would later sign off when Sally had given birth. Which reminded her... Gina gazed up at the clock on her office wall directly opposite her.

_Ten to ten. _Gina thought that Callum would've been back by now. He was the kind of person that would want to head back to the station as quickly as possible towards the end of overtime. Then again, someone had told her that traffic on the High Street was currently horrendous, so he had probably got caught up in that, Gina thought. There was no way, with the way he had headed off to, that Callum could possibly avoid the High Street. Gina decided not to worry about him, and instead continue with finishing her last report to the Super.

It was only when she heard soft footsteps in her office that Gina finally looked up from her writing. She was shocked to see Sergeant Weston standing before her.

"Rachael? You are early!" Gina commented to the sergeant. "Does that mean Callum's back?"

"I take it you haven't been listening to your radio then, ma'am?" Rachael asked her incredulously.

"No. I've been stuck here, writing out reports. Why? What's up?"

"I overheard on someone's radio Callum requesting for some back up to attend to the scene of a possible burglary or something like that. I was going to take Ben, Nate and Mel down with me to check it out, ma'am." She filled Gina in.

"What was the address?" Gina enquired.

"Flat 57, Cole Lane Estate, if I remember correctly. Why?"

Gina froze and paled slightly. _'That's Sally's new place isn't it? Oh God, what if something bad has happened to her? Wait...' _"Callum called it in?" Gina swallowed fearfully, continuing her thoughts out loud.

"Yes." The sergeant confirmed. _'That is what I just said, right?' _"Ma'am. He also said he was staying to assist."

This forced the inspector onto her feet with a start. _'This sounds real bad. No wonder why Callum's not back yet! Something feels horribly wrong...' _"Hold up, Rachael. I'm getting togged up and I'm coming with you." She called after the sergeant as she was leaving the office.

"With all due respect, ma'am, I think, Ben, Mel, Nate and I can handle it." Rachael replied, whirling around.

"I'm sure you can. But I'm coming nevertheless. I need to get out of here before I drown. This paper work's driving me loopy." The inspector reasoned.

'_I can see that...that is most certainly evident.' _Rachael couldn't help but think. There was going to be no stopping the inspector tonight, was there?

"All right, ma'am. I suppose an extra pair of eyes would come in handy to find whoever did this." The sergeant forced herself to agree. "See you around the back in five then?"

"You can count on it, Rachael." _'Especially if they've hurt Sally...in her...state.'_

_

* * *

_

Another scream tore out of Sally's mouth as she could feel the pain within her intensifying. Her latest contraction was the worst it had been in the last quarter of an hour. Her grip on Callum's hand was now so fierce it was intolerable except to an expecting father. He was just grateful she hadn't grabbed his sprained one – though he was pretty sure she had now permanently crushed his formerly un-handicapped hand.

"You are doing great, Sal, keep it up!" He encouraged her.

If she had any more strength, Sally would have slapped Callum hard for making that comment at her once again. Luckily for him, she was too tired to even keep her eyes fully open, so she punished him instead by squeezing the sergeant's hand even harder than he thought was humanely possible. He took the punishment like a man, suppressing his pain by keeping his focus on how Sally was doing.

"Just a few more pushes, and it will all be over soon." Sally mentally rolled her eyes; another repeated comment.

"It better bloody be." She snapped. "You have _no_ idea what I'm going through!"

"Well, if it hurts as much as you are crushing my hand, then maybe I do." Callum tried to cheer Sally up, and it must have worked a little, because he thought he heard Sally giggle a little under her heavy breathing. It wasn't long before she sobered again, throwing her head to one side in distress.

"Callum...I can't...I'm _so _tired." She strained each word out.

"Yes you can." It was his turn to grip her hand tighter in a reassuring manner. "You are Sally Armstrong, my love, and you _never_ give up. Don't you ever forget that." He paused, swallowing to moisten his drying throat, before biting his lip, bracing his mind for the pain, both his own and Sally's. "You ready to go again?"

She nodded. When she felt the next contraction, she began pushing for her life, screaming for all it was worth, until her throat was dry.

* * *

In a flash, Gina Gold was all togged up and heading out towards her area car, one ear tuned onto her radio, just in case Callum radioed anything else. She could only hear the voices of other calls – and Callum's wasn't among them.

"Ma'am, you coming?" Rachael's voice sounding from next to a patrol car distracted her long enough.

"Of course. Just listening to see if any more info had come through." Gina replied. "Clearly it hasn't."

"Well, it was worth a try." The sergeant nodded at her superior. "Are you coming with me, or driving there yourself?"

"I'll come with you if you don't mind. Stupid to waste fuel when the station budget is stretched as it is." The inspector quipped.

"I suppose." The pair got into the car. "I just hope Ben, Nate and Mel will be all right in the one car."

"Oh, I'm sure we can trust them not to squabble. Besides, Mel will keep those two boys in order. She takes no prisoners, that one."

"No." Rachael smiled, turning the ignition to get the engine going. "Gave me the run around on my first day, she did. But I like that, a copper who trusts their instincts. Anyway, this is not getting us closer to our shout is it?" She put in the car into reverse, carefully manoeuvring it out of the bay.

"No. It isn't." Gina replied back a little sternly.

It wasn't long before inspector and sergeant were on their way to attend Callum's call.

* * *

"C'mon Sal, sweetheart! Just a little bit more!"

Sally squeezed Callum's hand ferociously. Her lower body burned like she had thrown herself into the inferno of her dream. She was panting faster than a worn out dog. She felt a cold glass of water pressed to her lips, and she guzzled the cooling liquid within it down her burning throat for a couple of seconds before a powerful contraction forced her to breathe again and Callum withdrew the glass away. She gasped.

"Remind me never to have kids again." She let out in a gasp.

"I won't forget. You ready?" Callum nodded.

Sally winced as another contraction took hold. She was barely able to nod.

"Ok, then push!"

Sally pushed with all her might until her face turned purple and she was compelled to inhale again. Taking in a quick breath, she pushed once more, exhaling at the same time before relaxing, once more breathing laboriously. She began to tremble a little, but was otherwise doing brilliantly.

"Sal! I can see the head, keep it up! A couple of more pushes, I reckon, and we'll be able to meet our baby soon." Callum whispered excitedly into Sally's ear.

"Really?" Sally asked wearily. She didn't quite believe him. "Serious?"

"Of course I am, Sally!" He kissed her gently on the cheek. "I would never lie about something like this. You think you can manage a couple of more pushes?"

"I'll try." She bit the corner of her mouth, before taking in a sharp breath. Without waiting for Callum, she began to push again.

Sally could feel their child slowly sliding out of her body. She pushed again, before taking in a quick breath. Another push, another couple of breathes. She let out a shrill cry as she could feel the baby crowning. A moment of silence, and the couple could hear, quiet, high pitched squeas as Callum wrapped something up in a bundle of warm towels, gently drying the treasure that lay underneath it off, before handing the bundle to Sally.

"Congratulations Sally, you did it!" The sergeant's smile beamed brighter than ever.

Sally took the crying newborn carefully in her arms, rocking it gently, before she too, started crying. "What do we have, boy or girl?"

"I thought you might want to check." Callum nodded.

Sally unwrapped a couple of layers off the baby, before she exclaimed; "Callum, we have a girl! A beautiful baby daughter!" She fell sideways slightly into his open arms.

"Just like her mother then." He kissed first he baby, then Sally tenderly. "Any names? I'll let you decide."

"Well, I did have a girl's name in mind a long while back, but I've changed my mind to something that would be more suitable for her." Sally confessed.

"And what might that be, sugar?" Callum planted another kiss on his love's cheek.

"Cally." She spied Callum blinking at her, bemused. "After the both of us."

"Cally, hmm? I love it." Callum agreed. "Cally Rose."

"Cally Rose?"

"After Rose, my grandmother." He explained. "She was always kind to me."

Sally nodded wearily, before smiling. "Cally Rose Stone it is, then."

Callum stared down at little Cally. "Aww, look, she's gone to sleep. Must be tired, poor thing." He drew them both closer to him.

"She's not the only one." Sally yawned.

There was silence for a moment as the new family relaxed for the first time in what seemed like forever. Footsteps outside the flat, made Stone lift his head up to listen. They both froze when a familiar voice shouted into the flat. It wasn't Tim, but someone else, quite possibly the last friendly voice they wanted to hear.

"Sarge! Are you in there?"


	6. It's the Fear

**Hello, World Pt. 6**

**Sorry for delay. Stuff came up! Don't worry,I punished myself by spending a night in the cells(my room) writing this. Please R and R as always,and shoot me for more cliffhanging!****  
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Ben, Mel and Nate had arrived on the estate in their patrol car seconds before Inspector Gold and Sergeant Weston. It hadn't taken them long to spot Stone's patrol car and go park up next to it. All five of the officers got out of the two patrol cars at the same time. Tim was waiting by Callum's car.

"Thank goodness you are all here now. I was starting to get worried." He called to the group of officers, causing all of them to whirl around. "It's flat number 57 you want."

"Thanks, sir." Rachael reacted the quickest. "Ma'am, how shall we proceed?"

"You take Nate and do door to door, Mel and Ben, you go up to the flat. I'll stay and talk to this man here. At the very least, he might have heard what's going on and be able to fill us in, even if he didn't see anyone do it." Gina laid out the plan.

"All right, ma'am." The sergeant nodded. "Ok, you all heard her, let's get going!" The four officers went to do their respective jobs, leaving Gina alone with Tim. She quickly went over to him.

"Inspector Gina Gold, Sun Hill." She introduced herself formally to him.

"Mr. Tim Ardeman." Tim mirrored her formality, except supplying his name instead of hers.

"All right Tim. Can you tell me what happened here?" Gina asked.

"Yes, inspector." Tim cleared his throat. "It started when I was about to go out and feed Bella, my cat, when I heard breaking glass, so I decided to wait for a bit. Then I heard shouting. I thought it was just kids, so I decided to wait a bit. Then I heard a woman screaming and a door slamming, so I ran outside to see what the hell was going on. I wasn't quick enough to see who it was coming out, but I know it wasn't whoever had screamed."

"How did you know?"

"Because I could still hear her moaning and wailing inside."

"And you didn't go to help her yourself?" Gina raised an eyebrow.

"The door auto locks. I tried getting in. If I had known that she was pregnant, I'd have tried harder." Tim cast down his eyes.

"What did you do next?" The inspector pushed.

"I turned around, and I happened to see a police patrol car glinting in the moonlight on one of the roads. I just ran as fast as I could towards it. I led your sergeant – Callum, I think he said he was - to the flat. That was when he told me the woman was a colleague of his, Sally." Tim continued. "He had to break in to reach her, the poor man."

'_Heh. That sounds like Callum.' _"Then what happened after he had broken in?"

"Nothing." Tim answered quietly.

"Nothing?" Gina echoed questioningly.

"Yes, inspector. He asked me to call an ambulance and went in there. When I got back, he still hadn't emerged yet, so I waited 'til he did. That's when he come out an' tells me she's gone into labour." He shook his head, swallowed, before continuing, his accent finally slipping back into his words. "If your sergeant wasn't there, I'dve panicked. He just kept calm an' tol' me to get some towels – to make 'er comfortable, I think. I then agreed wi' 'im that I'd wait for the paramedics an' direct them to 'im."

"Ok, sir. That's all I need for now. But you will have to come down to the station later to make a formal statement." The inspector let out in a sigh.

"Of course. Anything to get the person who put Sally in this mess in the first place, that poor girl." Tim whispered determinedly. "You know, that sergeant of yours - Callum – he's a nice guy really. He's still up there with her, the kind soul."

"Is he now?" _'He really does care for her, doesn't he?' _"Well, he won't be alone for much longer." Gina stared up at the walkway, watching Ben and Mel run towards Sally's flat. She wondered briefly if sending Ben up with Mel was such a good idea.

* * *

"Is Stone still in the flat?" Ben made conversation with Mel as they finished climbing a set of stairs before jogging down a walkway.

"When he last gave sit rep, he said he was still in the flat." Mel answered, easily keeping pace with her beat partner. "I hope they are both ok. I mean, who'd be sick enough to stab a pregnant woman? No wonder why she went into labour."

"Well, some people just aren't right in the head, are they?" Ben frowned. "And some are just plain cold hearted. It was number 57, yeah?"

"Yeah." Mel nodded affirmative.

"Good, just a couple of doors to go, then." The pair stopped outside of a door that was ajar.

"This looks like it might be it."

"I think you might be right, Mel. Wait here and I'll try calling Stone." Ben stepped forward, before raising his voice for a shout. "Sarge! Are you in there?"

The constable took a cautious step inside the flat.

* * *

Callum half rose immediately after hearing Ben's voice echo into the flat, making Sally jump. She grabbed into his arm in surprise.

"What the heck is _he _doing here, Cal?" She whispered quickly.

"Well, I called for backup didn't I?" Callum replied in an annoyed tone. "If I'd known he'd be coming..."

"Callum, he can't know! Not until I get a chance to explain to him." Sally pleaded.

"Of course. You'll be all right on your own for a moment?" He asked her.

"I should be. Don't be too long."

Callum nodded, rising fully to go and meet Ben in the hallway. The sergeant managed to startle the constable as he came towards the door.

"You gave me a fright, sarge!" Ben jumped at the sight of Callum coming towards him. "Are you alright?"

"Perfectly fine. Did you come alone?" Stone asked.

"No. Mel's just outside, Sergeant Weston and Nate are doing a door to door and Inspector Gold is just talking to a man down by your patrol car. Is the woman alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine as well. Do you think you could bring the inspector up here?"

"I should be able to..." Ben broke off, getting a glimpse of the scene behind Callum. "Sarge, is that...?" He was interrupted by Callum roughly turning him around and ushering him towards the door. "Is that _Sally?_"

"We are not having this conversation here. _Out._" The sergeant hissed.

Ben stumbled out of the flat, almost falling into Mel, who dodged out of the way in surprise. Callum came out right behind him, looking a right state. The sergeant looked generally messy. One of his hands looked swollen like it had been crushed; the other looked limp and was bruised. As he stepped into the night, the outdoor light reflected off a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Sarge!" Mel barely contained her gasp at his state. "Are you all right?"

"Never been better." Stone grunted in response. "Ben's just taking me to the inspector. Do you mind looking after her?" He indicated to the flat.

"Not at all, sarge." She watched Sergeant Stone and Ben march off down the walkway before entering the flat.

* * *

Mel walked cautiously through to the kitchen of the flat. A strong smell of blood and other fluids greeted her before she had even gotten into the kitchen fully, almost knocking her out. She gagged, biting her tongue desperately to hold her stomach in check. Finally, she came into the kitchen proper, and the last person she expected to be sprawled out on the floor, cradling a tiny baby in her arms, was Sally.

"Sally!" The exclamation burst out before Mel even knew she had opened her mouth. Her northern accent filled the room instantly.

Sally gazed up at her colleague. "Mel!" She mirrored the exclamation.

It took a good ten seconds for Mel to gather herself together, before she rushed to her friend's side, kneeling beside her.

"Sal, I didn't even..." She trailed off, swallowing. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I look a lot worse than I am, trust me." Sally nodded weakly.

"But your arm...!"

"It doesn't hurt. Though, I can feel the dressing sticking to me. Do you think you could change it?" She nodded at the kitchen roll.

"Sure. It might hurt." Mel got to work straight away.

"Nothing can hurt as much what we've just been through." She kissed Cally on the forehead, before showing her to Mel.

"Aww, looks just like you!" Mel smiled, tying the last of the knots on the new dressing. "Have a name yet?"

"She's called Cally. Cally Rose."

"Such a perfect name for a beautiful little girl. Hey there Cally. Welcome to the family." She stroked Cally's cheek, before gently hugging Sally. "Congratulations Sally."

"Thanks, Mel." Sally buried into her friend's shoulder, crying fresh tears of joy.

* * *

It wasn't long before Ben had taken Callum to see Gina and an ambulance had arrived for Sally. While the paramedics were sorting out Sally, and checking her over, Sally had opted that Cally be left in the care of Mel while Callum was busy filling in Gina.

"She's all right, though, right?" Gina asked Callum frantically.

"Of course ma'am. You don't need to fret; Sally's a fighter." Callum replied calmly.

"And you?"

"Me? You know me, never been better."

"What did she have then? Did you get a boy or a girl?" Gina asked.

"_Ma'am!_ Keep your voice down!" He replied in a harsh, but hushed tone, glancing at Ben, who was stood by a patrol car, mere metres from them. "He doesn't know about me and Sally yet. And I'd prefer to keep it that way until either of us gets to explain it to him."

"I'm sorry, Callum...I thought he knew." Gina shook her head slightly. "After all, I thought Sally and Ben were close."

"Their closeness is the very reason why we agreed not to tell him in the first place. They had a thing in the past until Sally ended it. The only people who knew she was pregnant were myself, you, Beth and Millie. And the only people that knew..." Callum lowered his voice further. "...I was the father were Sally, me and you – albeit by accident, in the latter case – as far as I knew. If he knew I had fathered her child without a proper explanation of how it came about it would destroy him and drive him mad with rage. Finding out she was pregnant just now is sure to have angered him enough tonight. I'm begging you ma'am, don't go saying anything else until Sally or I can explain ourselves to him."

"Don't worry, Callum, I won't. But you two need to talk. And I know how much you want to go to the hospital, but I think it would be wiser if you went back to the station first. You look like you could do with sorting yourself out." The inspector nodded meaningfully.

"It's fine, ma'am. It's the end of my shift, so I need to be getting back there anyway." The sergeant nodded in agreement. He was about to open his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by the sound of both his and Gina's radios sparking into life.

"_148 to 30." _Mel's voice crackled down the line.

Callum unhooked his radio from his stab proof vest, planting the mouthpiece near his lips. "30 receiving; what's up Mel?"

"_The paramedics are taking Sally down to the hospital now. Something about a check up and to get the knife out, they said. Better safe than sorry, I think, sarge." _Mel reported to Callum.

"All right. You go down to the hospital with her. She still needs to make a statement about what happened." Stone sighed. "Go easy on her, Mel."

"_I will, sarge. There was one more thing."_

"What was that?"

"_Sally's been asking to see you."_

"Tell her I'll be up there in a minute, 30 out."

"_Will do. 148 out."_

Callum hooked his radio back onto his stab proof vest, spying Gina giving him a 'I do hope you know what you are doing' look. For the second time in five minutes, Callum sighed.

"Ma'am. It's only going to be for a few minutes." He spoke softly, reading the inspector's mind. "Besides, you heard Mel – Sally really wants me."

"I'm not saying anything." Gina held back her protest. "You're all grown-up; you don't need the likes of me running after you. But I will say this; you and Ben definitely need to talk, and settle your differences, sooner rather than later. And I'm not asking." There was a momentary pause during which Gina smiled, and nearly laughed. "Well, don't just stand there like a lemon. Run along, before I drag you back to the station myself."

"Thank you, ma'am." Callum nodded, before dashing off to go see Sally.

* * *

It didn't take Sergeant Stone long to dash up the stairs and down the walkway to his and Sally's flat. Ahead of him, he could see the brightly dressed paramedics wheeling his love out of the flat in a wheelchair. In her arms rested a treasure wrapped up neatly in towels, a treasure Callum knew instinctively was his daughter. And behind them, shutting the flat door, wearied, but still with a smile on her face, was Mel. Callum could hardly contain his grin that stretched from ear to ear when Sally's beautiful blue eyes locked with his own. Before he knew it, he was running to her, and only stopped himself when he remembered Mel was still there.

"Sally!" He had to physically restrain the romantic part of the excitement from his voice. "Are you both all right?"

"I'm fine, if having a knife stuck in my arm classes as fine." Sally nodded. "Are you coming to the hospital?"

"Not right now. I have to go do something at the station first, as well as get out of my uniform."

"Well, I'll see you later then."

Callum stepped aside to let the paramedics wheel Sally past him. Mel hung back beside him for a moment.

"You know, sarge, the paramedics said that the makeshift dressing you used for Sally's knife wound probably saved her life." She remarked casually to him.

"Really?" He hid his shock. He didn't realise how close he had come to losing boh Sally and his daughter. "You look after her and the baby both, you promise?"

"Of course, sarge. You can count on it." Mel gave him a knowing look, before smiling and sauntering off.

He watched her walk away, wondering if he had possibly given himself away, before smiling. Even if he had, he knew his secret was safe with Mel. He also knew that Sally couldn't have a better friend watching over her. Spinning on the ball of his foot, he checked to see if the flat was secure, before following in the direction of where Mel had left. It was time to head back to the station and have that chat with Ben. It was time to settle some differences.

It was time for Callum Stone to confront his demons and face his fears.


	7. Road to Revelation

**Hello, World Pt. 7**

**Woo,more! Keep R and R-ing! And apologies for the amount of DIALOGUE. (Seriously,there's like two whole pages of it just between Callum and Ben in the word document o.O) But I think it's worth it!**

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As soon as Callum got back to the station, he wasted no time in getting himself cleaned up and out of his uniform. His first port of call was the gents' toilets, where he spent a few minutes cleaning and generally neatening himself up, before making his way to the locker room. He hadn't seen Ben yet, and pondered for a moment as he approached his locker whether he might be able to avoid talking to him for now. He just wanted to see Sally as soon as possible.

Quickly, he got dressed into a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt, before folding his uniform neatly and placing it, along with is kit, back in his locker. Callum then proceeded to button up his shirt, leaving the top one undone in his usual signature style. He had just about finished doing up the last button when a voice from behind startled him.

"How long have you known?"

The sentence caused Callum to whirl around with a start. His blue-green eyes fell upon Ben, who was watching him from the other side of the room. The sergeant hadn't even heard the constable come in.

"Just remember who you are talking to." He answered back in a low voice with a hint of anger in it.

"Don't try and pull rank on me, _sergeant._" Ben's voice became soft and dangerous, and his face was like a thundercloud. "So, just _how _long have you known?"

"Not for as long as you might think. A month or two maybe, I don't know." The sergeant shook his head. "Just why is it _so_ important?"

"Because, even though we broke up, I'm still one of Sally's best friends." Ben pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on, and slowly stalked towards Stone. "And she would tell me about something like this. Might've taken her a while, but she would've told me. So there must be something else going on."

"You think so?"

"Yes, I think so." The constable was only a couple of feet away from his superior, his voice becoming more dangerous by the minute. "I mean, for example, why did she tell you first? Why not me?"

"Before you go any further, she didn't tell me." Callum corrected. "I guessed."

"Yeah, right!" Ben's voice was full of venom. "Do you think I was born yesterday? Cut out the crap, Stone!"

"I'm telling the truth! Also, I wasn't the first to know. Beth and Millie found out before I did. Heck, even _Inspector Gold _worked it out before I did."

"I don't believe you." The younger officer spat at the sergeant.

"Don't? Or **won't**?" Stone's tone became suddenly dangerous.

"I mean **don't**, Stone! I _don't _believe you!" He took a step closer to Callum. "I mean, why on **earth **would Sally tell you and not me?"

'_Because then she would have to tell you everything...' _The sergeant shrugged. "I don't know; why don't you ask her?"

"Because I'm asking **you****!**" Ben raised his voice to a shout for the first time in the conversation.

"Well, then, it's as I said before: I don't know."

"You're lying! You know more than you are letting on." Ben's anger towards Stone was building. "In fact, maybe you are the father of this child!"

Ben's revelation was met with a stony silence, during which time the only sound was his footsteps as he staggered back in surprise.

"Please tell me you didn't..." He shook his head slowly. "Oh my God... It all makes sense now. That's why she left me, it's because she already knew. The timing would fit and everything..." Ben tilted his head so his forehead was cupped in his open palm. "I can't believe I'm hearing this..."

There was a pause before Callum spoke again. "Listen, I don't know what you're..."

There was a sickening crack and a white hot burning sensation in Callum's jaw as he was cut short mid sentence by Ben's dark fist slamming into the side of his face from nowhere. He stumbled backwards, clutching his cheek in obvious pain. Spitting out blood, he glared at Ben who was rubbing the hand that had hit him, seemingly pleased with his work.

"That make you feel better, did it?" Stone grunted angrily.

"Actually, it did." The constable retorted immediately with no trace of regret in his voice.

It was a while before either of them spoke again. When he did decide to speak again, Callum's voice was barely audible and he had cast down his eyes. "It should have been you, you know."

"_What?_"

"I said, it should have been you." Callum repeated. "Sally had just been on a dangerous undercover operation. She nearly died – if I hadn't come when I had..." He swallowed painfully. "I found her down the pub later that night. The team were celebrating the result, but she was just sat there, by herself, drinking her pain away. You were away, Ben, and she hurt, so much so I could feel it. I did what any gentleman ought to, and I took her home before she could get even more drunk than she already was. Only, when we get back, she asks me to stay with her for a bit. She was so scared...she needed comforting, and I was the only one there for her."

"You mean to say you took advantage of her?" Ben roared in disbelief, clenching his fists. He looked like he might land another blow on the sergeant.

"No, it wasn't like that at all!"

"Then what was it like?"

"I don't know; that's that honest truth. She was scared, and I was there for her. I was just offering a shoulder to cry on at the time, nothing more. I didn't know she had feelings for me." Callum reasoned.

"Don't you dare try and shift the blame onto Sally!" Ben raised the same fist he had hit Stone with previously.

"You gonna punch me again?" He asked, almost in a taunting manner. "Make you feel better, would it? You know what, go ahead. I probably deserve it, don't I? I honestly don't know what you want me to say. You think I'm going to stand here and tell you that I don't actually love her? Well I'm not. I love her Ben and you can either accept that or hate me for it. Either way, my feelings for Sally won't change. You need to let go of the past and start waking up to the present."

Callum felt the rush of air come at him before he saw the punch firing towards him. The blow did not land however; instead it stopped mere millimetres from his nose.

"You know what? You aren't even worth the effort, Stone." The younger officer retracted his fist almost as quickly as he had fired it at his superior, before storming out of the locker room, leaving Callum standing there by himself.

The sergeant sighed, sinking down onto the bench that was in the middle of the room, relieved to finally be out of Ben's firing line at last. He stared at his own reflection in the mirror on the wall, wiping the blood off his face with his hand. Already, he could see and feel the bruise welling up beneath his skin, and Callum knew he was going to have a fun time explaining it to Sally. He shut his eyes and waited a few moments. He wanted to allow as much time as possible for Ben to put enough distance between them; he didn't fancy running into him again, not while he was in the state he had left in.

* * *

Sally awoke slowly, her vision bleary. The monotonous sound of hospital machinery greeted her ears and just detectable above it, the soft sound of an infant crying as well as...what was it? Someone cooing and singing a gentle lullaby? The quiet song made her feel drowsy too and she almost fell back asleep, but as she shifted to get more comfortable, a searing sensation in her arm reminded her what she had just been through and the dreamy atmosphere dissipated. Sally hissed in pain and the gentle lullaby from before stopped mid-note.

"Sally! Thank goodness you are awake." Sally recognised the voice as the same one who had been singing the sweet lullaby, albeit now in a slightly lower register. "Your daughter's hard work, let me tell you that. I've been trying everything to get her asleep for the past _half an hour _now, and she's still not quite tired enough again, yet."

The words barely registered in her mind as Sally focused on the person sitting by her bedside. As her vision began to clear, she realised it was Mel who was cradling her little treasure in her arms. She blinked.

"Still a bit groggy, huh?" Mel asked her, not expecting an answer. "Probably the sedatives wearing off. You should probably take it easy for now."

"What about Cally? She's probably hungry." Sally slurred almost drunkenly.

"Don't worry! The midwife prepared some formula to use for now until you wake up properly and you are feeling stronger." Mel assured Sally. "You just concentrate on resting and taking it easy for now."

Sally relaxed slightly. "How long you been here?"

"Since we got here." Mel spied Sally giving her a look of disbelief. "Well, someone had to look after little Cally while they took the knife out from your arm, didn't they?"

Sally's gaze wandered from her friend to her left arm, which had been bandaged up and put in a sling. It felt mostly numb still, except when she moved it too fast or excessively. A deep frown crossed her face.

"You could have let the hospital staff or the midwife look after her while I was under." She spoke quietly.

"It doesn't matter. I'm fine with it; it wasn't like I was putting myself out, seeing as I had to come with you for a statement anyway." Mel replied, gently rocking Cally back and forth. A flicker of uncertainty came across her face briefly before she spoke her next sentence. "Also, Sergeant Stone made me promise to look after you both."

"He did?" Sally seemed genuinely shocked at this. _'Gosh, he really is sweet at heart...' _Unexpected tears filled her eyes.

"Sal, are you all right?" Mel asked, concerned. "Was it something I said?"

"No, no." She shook her head gently. "It's just that it was a really sweet thing for him to make you do, that's all..." Sally was broken off by Cally starting to cry softly.

"Oh! Looks like someone wants their mummy." Mel smiled. "Can you manage her?"

"My arm's in a sling; it's not paralysed Mel!" Sally laughed slightly. "I should be fine if she doesn't move around too much."

Mel nodded, gently passing Sally's daughter to her arms. Once she was sure Sally had a secure hold and that Cally was comfortable in her mother's arms, Mel released her hold on the little one.

"There, there, shh. Mummy's here now." Sally whispered soothingly to her daughter, rocking her a little. Cally responded by gurgling cutely and snuggling into her mother's chest.

"Aww, now that is sweet. You're gonna be a great mum, I can see it." Mel remarked, a smile on her face. "Hey, Sal, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Depends what it is."

"Cally's father..." There was a pause. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to..."

Sally looked up at Mel. "No. It's fine. What about him?"

"I was just wondering... is Cally's father... Sergeant Stone?"

'_How the heck did she work that out?' _Sally blinked at her colleague. _'She should be a detective up in CID, not stuck in uniform! God she's good!'_

"Sal?" Her thought trail was interrupted. "Well? Is he or isn't he?"

"H-how...how did you know?" She stuttered at Mel in shock.

"Well, I am a natural born copper." Mel laughed, which earned her a giggle from Sally. "Actually, it was something Stone said after I told him something. Well, not so much what he said, but rather the way in which he said it; his tone of voice."

"And what was that?"

"I told him that his use of the kitchen roll to stop your arm from bleeding all over the place probably saved your life according to the paramedics." She continued. "He seemed genuinely surprised at that, like he really cared deep down about you. That and the promise he made me say."

"You won't say anything, will you?" Sally's pale face became worried. "At least not until Callum and I announce it formally?"

"Of course not. You know me; I'm not one for gossip, Sal."

"Thanks Mel. You don't know what that means to me."

"It's fine. Even if you hadn't asked me, I wouldn't have said anyway." Mel nodded, before a quiet gasp escaped her mouth. "Aww, Sally, look! Poor little Cally's fallen asleep while we've been talking!"

Sally's gaze fell upon her daughter, who, just as Mel had said, had fallen sound asleep in her arms, head buried in her chest, breathing lightly. She looked so peaceful and heart meltingly adorable.

"She must be exhausted, poor girl." Sally remarked, gently stroking her daughter's head. "She's probably wanted to go to sleep for ages and just needed the comfort of me to send her to sleep. Not that I'm saying you were doing a bad job with her or anything like that."

"No, I know what you mean. She's more used to being comforted by your heartbeat rather than mine. I read it in a book somewhere." Mel nodded again, now wielding a smile. "Anyway, it's a bit late for going through a statement now, and besides you look like you could do with some rest."

Sally was about to protest, but instead let out a spectacular yawn. "If you aren't going to interview me, then what are you going to do?"

"Well, I could stay and keep you company – just until Stone gets here. That's if you want me to." Mel suggested.

"We would like that. But isn't it way past the end of your shift?"

"I'm on nights this week" Mel admitted. "But even if I wasn't, I'd still have stayed with you."

"Aww, you're sweet and a good friend, Mel." Sally wiped a tear from her eye. "Thanks."

"Really, it's no problem. I'm sure everyone else would do the same. Do you think you'll be all right for a minute while I go buy myself a drink? I've been gagging for one all night."

"Now that Cally's asleep, I should be. Be back soon, yeah?" Sally replied.

"I'll try to be." Mel rose, before exiting the private room they were both in, leaving mother and sleeping child alone together.

Sally yawned again. Just watching her daughter sleeping was enough to make her feel tired too. One half her mind joked that sleepiness must be contagious or something, and Sally nearly burst out laughing – were it not for the fact she had a sleeping baby in her arms, she probably might well have done. Five minutes passed and Mel had still not returned yet. She gazed down at Cally, who was snuggling further down into the recesses of her arms, and gently kissed her on the forehead, carefully enough so that she didn't awake her, before raising her head up at the sound of heavy footsteps outside the door that seemed to screech to a halt. Then the doors swung open, and Sally knew she was a goner the moment the newcomer walked into the room.

Sally was a sitting duck in Ben's firing line and her only hope was either Mel or Callum bursting through the doors to protect her.


	8. ASAP

**Hello, World Pt. 8**

**God this is SO SHORT. This has to be my least fave part if I had to have a least fave part. I promise part 9 will be A LOT better than this. Keep R and R-in and I'm sorry if I disappointed you this part.**

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When he had stormed out of the locker rooms after his feud with Callum had finally come to a head – namely the sergeant's – earlier that night, the last place Ben thought he might wind up was St. Hugh's hospital. He had even debated with himself for ten minutes on whether to go in or not before finally deciding that if he wanted some answers to his many questions, he was either going to have to beat the hell out of Stone and still risk getting a load of crap spewed his way or go ask Sally, who was more likely to be honest with him. Ben preferred the latter option – he might've hated Callum's guts right about now, but he was still a police officer and wanted to keep it that way.

Entering into the hospital, he wasted no time in asking for Sally, and was quickly escorted up to a private room. After the nurse had left Ben alone, he felt his rage from before rekindling. _'I'm not angry with her,'_ he had to remind himself, _'I'm angry with him.' _This did not make his rage subside however; if anything, it made it worse. The constable took in a deep breath, counted to ten, before harshly pushing open one of the doors to the private room and stepping in.

* * *

It took Ben's eyes a few moments to adjust to the ample lighting of the room. Above the noise of the machines, he heard something trying to shift rapidly, and his gaze wandered over to where the sound had come from. When his eyes finally dilated enough for him to focus, the sight of Sally holding her baby daughter in front of him was enough to make all the anger drain from his body. He relaxed momentarily, until he saw the gaze of dismay she was giving him. Her frightened sapphire eyes startled him and he noted how cornered she looked.

"W-what are you doing here?" Sally whispered affrightedly. Ben wondered why she had whispered, before realising the baby in his friend's arms was asleep.

"Listen, Sal, I'm not going to cook you. I just came for answers." He assured her, gesturing with the hand he had thumped Callum with. He realised his mistake too late.

"I take it you've seen Callum?" She swallowed, seeing the cuts on Ben's knuckles. "What do you do to him?"

"I asked him for the truth, that's all."

'_Cut out the crap!' _she wanted to shout at him, but somehow she managed to restrain herself. Instead, she continued in a whisper, "And what did he tell you?"

"You mean what he_ didn't_ tell me." He uttered the next sentence even more quietly. "Why? Why didn't you _tell_ me, Sal?"

"I didn't want to punish you any further." Sally replied timidly, tears starting to streak down her eyes.

"And you think just dumping me out of the blue without reason wasn't punishment enough?" Ben glared at her.

"I..." She faltered, casting down her eyes. "I-I didn't know what to do. I had slept with Callum behind your back, and he didn't even know I was pregnant. I-I...I just felt so alone, so scared and so...so..._trapped._"

"Sally..." Ben trailed off, shaking his head in disappointment. _'So he was telling the truth...' _"I'm sorry..."

"Sorry for what?" She resumed her gaze on him. "I should have told you..."

"No. I should have been there for you..." He interrupted Sally. "I'll make it up to you; I'll catch the guy who stabbed you. Though I suppose...he'll be long gone now, but I'll try..."

"He won't have got that far..."

"What do you mean? How can you be sure?" Ben went to sit on the end of Sally's bed.

"Because..." She paused, stroking Cally gently. "Ben, I did something really stupid. But I swear; I was just defending myself...defending us both... "

"Sally...what did you do?" Ben's tone became dark.

"I took a knife...and I stabbed it into the guy's ankle." Sally screwed her eyes shut in pain. "What was I supposed to do? He was going to take the knife from my arm; I thought he was going to finish the job! And even if he didn't, I would've bled to death anyway..." Tears welled under her eyelids, and she was only just managing to suppress her sobs. "I didn't know what to do..."

"Sally, hey, calm down." Ben spoke in a soothing tone. "You'll wake her." He indicated the baby in her arms. "Let me go get you a drink of water; you look like you could do with one."

Sally nodded weakly, not wanting to argue, before watching Ben leave the room, and she was finally alone once more. She felt Cally beginning to stir a little, so she began to rock her arms gently to send her back to sleep again. It wasn't long before she felt someone was watching her, and the urge to look up at the doors became too great. Sally instantly regretted her decision.

Frighteningly familiar emerald orbs gazed back at her, sending shivers running rampant through her body. Sally to scream, but the only thing that escaped her mouth was a dreadful silence that made her blood turn slowly to ice...


	9. Blink of an Eye

**Hello, World Pt. 9**

**Sorry for delay. Been busy and stuff. Today's my birthday. I wonder if I can wrap this up today? This was seriously supposed to be the last part,but I could resist another torturous cliffhanger. Just to let you know,there will be a sequel to this! After I write at least one piece on the final ep of course. I'm not giving away much here but the ones based on the final ep are set prior to this fanfic and take past events mentioned in this fic into consideration. One will be called 'Disrespect' and the other 'Gun to the Mind'. As for the name of the sequel to this,you'll have to wait! But I will tell you it continues the theme of being named after a Two Steps From Hell song. (Like the parts of this fic are.) Anyway,please R and R. ENJOY.****  
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It had taken a while of searching the bottom floor of the hospital before Mel had finally found a coffee machine that both hadn't run out of coffee and had the brand she liked. The moment the first drop of the piping hot liquid slid down her throat, her nerves instantly vanished. She took a moment to savour the drink, relishing its bitter-sweet flavour, before remembering Sally. Swallowing the last few drops of drink, Mel found somewhere to bin her coffee cup before locating the stairs and climbing them. It only took her a couple of minutes before she found herself walking down an ever so familiar corridor that she had traversed so many times before – and not always with good news either. Her gaze fell upon a man who was stood in the middle of the corridor outside where Sally was, leaning heavily on a single crutch, his left ankle and foot plastered up and raised from the ground. Instinct told her immediately something wasn't right, not just with the man's injury, but his very being there.

"Excuse me sir?" Mel approached the man, who was taller than she was and muscular, like he worked out a lot; not someone she wanted to agitate, injured or not. The man gave no reaction, so Mel tried more forcefully. "Sir? Do you know her? Because if you don't, I'm going have to ask you to move on."

He muttered something completely incoherent, his emerald eyes gazing fixatedly into the room. Mel thought he sounded completely off his head; drugs probably, one half of her mind thought, because if he was that incoherent on alcohol, she would have been able to smell it on him a mile off. However the man was intoxicated, it was certainly not going to help her with getting his attention.

"Sir? Mel tried one last time. "Could you please go back to your bed, or if you are discharged, go home."

It was only now the man acknowledged her, though maybe not quite as fully as he should have. "Yer talkin' tuh me?" He was definitely on some sort of substance, probably illegal. His eyes were glazed over and unfocused. "Pretty lass, don'ya thin', love? Shame 'bout 'er though, gettin' shanked 'n' all tha'..." He trailed off into a mumble which Mel couldn't decipher.

"How did you know that she got stabbed?" She had sense not to show her shock, but suspicion was now evident in her voice.

Suddenly, the emerald eyes snapped to her, focusing properly for the first time. Their glazed over, wearied look had vanished too, and contained within them now was something unreadable. Silence fell for a few tense heartbeats, before the man's eyes changed their expression again. Officer's and patient's eyes locked briefly, before Mel realised the danger – too late...

She felt something heavy and cold connect with her ribs, followed by a sharp pain that her protective vest did little to soften. Mel fell sideways, breathless, crashing into the floor sickeningly.

The man didn't pause to examine his work, but instead hobbled away. Despite his injury, he was still moving at speed and reached the end of the corridor in no time, disappearing around a corner, leaving Mel struggling to get into a sitting position. She tried to reach for her radio, but because of where and how she had been hit, she couldn't bend her right arm at the shoulder and even if she could reach her radio, Mel was far too winded to speak.

Luckily for her, help was just literally around the corner...

* * *

The two bottles of clear liquid in Ben's hand were cold enough to make his fingers go numb. He paused momentarily to swap the bottles to his other hand, before blowing on his fingers to warm them up. His thoughts drifted to Sally, then to Stone, before he felt something drum through the floor, like something landing harshly.

Before he knew it, Ben was running, sliding around the corner and heading down a corridor. He heard footsteps skittering away, and laboured wheezing. He spotted Mel sprawled out on the floor.

"Mel! You all right?" He called to her, running and crouching by her side. "Here, let me help you up."

Mel gratefully took the hand Ben offered her, merely nodding in response to his question. She clutched at where she had been hit, wincing painfully. She was still struggling to catch her breath, which was now coming out in short gasps. Ben grasped her shoulder sympathetically.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" He asked desperately.

But his colleague shook her head, still unable to answer. Instead, she raised her good arm, pointing down the corridor and mimicking the motion of a person hobbling away on a crutch.

"The guy was on a crutch? Should be easy to catch, then. Can you look after these?" He handed Mel the bottles of water. "Are you sure you are all right?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Mel replied for the first time breathlessly.

"All right. Look after them." Ben indicated Sally and her daughter. "I won't be long."

Mel nodded slightly, and he released his grip on her shoulder, before running in the direction of where Mel's attacker had run off to. Mel herself stumbled painfully into Sally's private room.

"Oh my god, Mel!"

The exclamation was the first thing that greeted Mel as she practically fell into the room Sally was in. She forced herself to walk over to Sally, and sunk into a chair that was placed next to her bed.

"Are you ok?" Sally gazed over to Mel, gently rocking Cally. "I saw what happened. He clobbered you hard; you should get yourself checked out."

"I'm fine Sal, honest." Mel placed the bottles of water on the bedside table next to her. "The main thing is, are _you _all right?"

"I thought he was going to finish the job, Mel." Sally shook her head in despair. "As soon as I saw those emerald eyes again..."

"_Again? _Are you saying that's the guy who attacked you?"

Sally could only manage a weak nod.

"How did he get his injuries?" Mel probed her friend further, seeming to have caught her breath now.

The question was met with a brief silence, before Sally replied timidly, eyes cast down: "I thought h-he...he was going to kill us. I-I had no choice. The knife was there and I just..." She mimed the action of stabbing her attacker in the ankle. "What could I do? I was panicky, in labour, and I had just been stabbed..." She choked, tears in her eyes.

"Here, let me take Cally for a moment." Mel offered, stretching her arms as much as she could. Reluctantly, Cally was passed into her arms and it only took a few moments before loud sobs filled the room.

"Hey, hey Sal. It will be all right." She assured her. "Ben's after him now as we speak – he won't get very far."

* * *

As the weather began to take a turn for the worse, Callum found himself running from his car against the wind and the pelting rain that was lashing at his entire body. He barely made it into the hospital, but the couple of minutes outside had been long enough to ensure he was soaked to the skin. His spiked up, waterlogged hair was now sticking out in all sorts of crazy directions, periodically dripping water onto his already wet face. The sergeant brushed his hair with his sprained hand, resulting in a spray of water, and he suspected he had just made himself look ten times worse than before. Callum sighed, shook his head – resulting in yet another spray of water – and approached the almost deserted reception. The receptionist acknowledged his presence instantly.

"Excuse me? I know it's late, but I'm here to see Sally Armstrong." Callum stated plainly.

"Do you know what she was bought in for, sir?" The receptionist replied politely enough.

"Yeah. She had a baby and was... _stabbed_." He had to force the last word out, for whenever he spoke it, it bought back images in his mind of Sally struggling on the floor – memories he'd soon rather forget.

"I'm sorry sir, but only family and the police are allowed to see her." She replied after typing in a few things on the computer.

"Sorry, I should've said before... I'm Callum, her boyfriend." Stone explained quickly.

"Ah right, I see. In that case, you'll want Ward 4, Room 2. Just up the stairs there. Do you need someone to take you?"

"No, no. I know the way, thanks all the same."

The sergeant spun around, drops of cool water flying from his hair like grains of sand blown in the wind. It took him a few strides and seconds to reach the stairs previously indicated to him, but he didn't get a chance to set a foot on them. Instead, his copper trained senses alerted him to the faint sounds of what sounded like a distant commotion coming from one of the ground floor corridors. Sighing, he leaned heavily with his non-sprained hand on the hand railing momentarily, straining his ears, before spinning on the ball of his foot, striding towards where the commotion had come from. Callum had barely gotten into the corridor before he spotted a man one a single crutch hobbling at speed towards him. He wasn't as tall as him, but he had a much broader and powerful looking frame with muscles clearly visible under what he was wearing. He also had short hair and piercing eyes that were brilliant emerald and full of evil intent. Callum stopped in the middle of the corridor but the man did not let up, and Stone soon found out why when he saw a figure dressed in black and white coming after him. Noticing the man's ankle injury and remembering he had noticed one of the knives missing from the floored knife holder back at home, as well as the fact the man before him was getting chased by an officer, Callum put two and two together.

"Stop!" He barked, flashing his soaked warrant card. "I'm a police officer!"

Oh, the man stopped all right. He stopped so quickly Callum heard his foot squeak on the clean floor. The man stared first at him in shock, before glancing worriedly over his shoulder at the officer chasing him.

* * *

'_Boy, this guy can move __**fast**__!'_

Ben was panting as he threw himself down a set of stairs. The man he was chasing had gone in the lift, but he was not going to let him get away. He reached the bottom of the stairs leaping the last four steps, only to find the suspect still ahead of him. Ben was surprised when he came to an abrupt halt, until he heard Callum's voice echo down the corridor. Seconds later, a primal cry of fury and desperation tore from the suspect's mouth and he charged towards the sergeant, who initially held his ground.

But what Ben hadn't expected his sergeant to do was to charge forward as well...


	10. Undying Love

**Hello, World Pt. 10**

**Finally, the last part! I really have enjoyed writing this and I didn't expect it to be THIS long. Thanks for the reviews and enduring my cliffhanger torture. I'll see you next time with either 'Disrespect' or 'Gun to the Mind.'**

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Ben cringed as sergeant and suspect collided into each other. The crutch of the suspect dug into Callum, allowing its owner to momentarily gain the advantage, until Stone spun the man around violently and slammed him into the wall viciously, pinning him there. He tried to struggle.

"Ben, are you going to stand there and gawk like a fish out of water, or are you going to help?" Stone's irritated voice snapped Ben from his haze.

"Yeah, yeah." He ran over, handcuffs appearing in his hand. He clamped them onto the man's wrists. "You are under arrest for burglary, attempted murder and assaulting a police officer. You do not have to say anything, but anything you do say may be taken down as evidence. You understand?"

"Yeah, I unders'and." The man slurred. "Though, 'ow am I supposed tuh walk wit' my 'ands be'ind my back when I need my crutch?"

Sergeant and constable looked at each other, before Stone finally sighed.

"Here, lean on me." He replied reluctantly. "Ben, call in another unit to take him away."

Ben nodded, grabbing is radio. "795 to Sierra Oscar, requesting another unit to St. Hugh's Hospital, male suspect detained, over."

"_Received. Unit on way." _The radio controller replied instantly.

"All right, come on!" Ben led the way to the entrance of the hospital, going slow enough so Callum and their suspect could keep up with him.

* * *

After the man who attacked Sally had been safely taken away from the hospital, Ben and Callum walked up to Sally's room, where Sally, her daughter and Mel were waiting. Ben was about to enter, when he noticed Callum wasn't following.

"Sarge?" He looked at him questioningly. "Aren't you coming in?"

"No. There's something I want to talk to Sally about when we are alone." The sergeant nodded slowly.

"Sarge, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about earlier..."

"It's fine. You were angry. Now go in."

The constable smiled, before turning and entering the room.

* * *

"Did you get him, Ben?" Mel asked as Ben entered into the room. He blinked, his eyes having to adjust again, before he nodded at his colleague.

"Yep. He's heading down to the station as we speak."

"That's great! See, I told you it would be fine, Sally!" She jumped up to her feet from the chair she was sitting on, accidently waking Cally, who was still in her arms. Mel braced herself for the tears, but was pleasantly surprised when Cally didn't cry out at all. She did, however, start wriggling.

"Haha. Looks like someone wants mummy." Ben chuckled, walking up to Mel and tickling Cally's chin, before taking her out of his friend's arms and handing her back to Sally.

"Well, I'm going to see if I can get checked over." Mel turned to leave the room, adding just before she exited, "Take care, ok?"

"We will." Sally called after her, before watching Ben sit down on the seat formally occupied by their colleague.

"So, what did you call her, then?" Ben asked Sally casually, tickling Cally behind one of her ears. She responded by gurgling adorably.

"Cally Rose." She replied, smiling shyly. "Come closer."

"What?" He gave her a wild look. "Why?"

"Trust me."

"All right." Ben leaned closer. He was startled when he felt her lips caress his cheek softly and she gently kissed him. He felt his face burn in embarrassment. "What was that for?"

"It was my way of saying, thank you. Thank you for catching my assailant, thank you for understanding...and...Just thank you for everything."

"You do realise Stone's out there, right?" He asked her.

"He'll understand, I'm sure. Listen, Ben, I was wondering if I could ask a special and personal favour from you?" Sally's voice suddenly lowered.

"What is it?"

"I've not discussed it with Callum yet, but...Would you like to be Cally's godfather and honorary uncle?" Her voice was barely audible now.

"Sally, are you sure?"He replied incredulously. "If this is your way of apologising..."

"No, it isn't. Ben, you've been a really good friend to me, almost like an older brother. It's only right you should be involved in Cally's life, and I'm sure Callum would agree with me."

"In that case then, I would love to." He kissed Cally on the forehead, gently hugged Sally, before rising. "I'll leave you three to it." Ben smiled, exiting the room. As he passed Callum, he whispered, "She's all yours now."

* * *

Callum entered, slowly crossing the room to sit down beside his love. Sally gave him a one armed hug and he kissed her softly, before Sally pulled away from him, noticing the bruise on his jaw.

"Please tell me that could have been avoided." Sally whispered to him.

"It was Ben...he's apologised for it. I deserved it at the time. But we are good now." He explained quickly to her.

"That's great, because I just asked him a question that I ought to run by you."

"What did you ask him?"

"I asked him if he wanted to be Cally's godfather and honorary uncle. He said he would love to, if you are happy with it."

"Of course I am. I mean, you two are good friends, so I don't see why not."

"Then it's settled." Sally was about to draw Callum back into a hug when she caught him smirking, his gaze on Cally.

"Someone's tired. Shall I put her in the cot?" Stone asked, indicating the clear plastic hospital cot that was sat at the end of the bed.

"That's a great idea. I would like to get a little rest, too." She carefully slid their daughter into Callum's awaiting arms, double checking he had a comfortable hold of her. He seemed to grasp it quickly enough before rising, bouncing the baby in his arms and walking slowly to the cot. _'My, he's such a natural...' _Her mind admired for a moment as she watched Callum tuck Cally up in her cot, all the time whispering gently to her, a singing a barely audible lullaby that she hadn't heard since she herself was a child. It wasn't long until Cally was fully asleep, and Callum was sitting on the chair beside her again. Unburdened, the two kissed deeply, Sally stroking the sergeant's still damp hair and Stone lightly cupping the former constable's cheek with the hand Sally had crushed. He pulled back slightly so he could breathe again for a moment, before Sally tried kiss him again. Teasing her, he playfully put a finger to her lips, feeling his heart racing.

"Aww, sweetheart, don't tease me." She mock complained, forcing a smile from Callum.

"You know I do it because I love you." His heart was in his throat as his hand left her face and delved into his pocket.

"Cal, what's up?" Sally spoke softly, her face feeling cold now his hand was no longer there.

Stone took a deep breath. "Sal, you know I love you and Cally more than anything in the world. You remember a while back, I made a promise to you?"

"Of course, I can never forget. You said you'd protect me and watch over us, even if it killed you and no matter what happened." She recounted. "You said you'd be with me one hundred percent of the way..." She trailed off when she saw what position Callum had taken up. Distracted with remembering his promise to her, she hadn't noticed him shift off the chair to a kneeling position with one knee on the floor.

Taking a deep bow, Callum removed his hand from his pocket and raised it up to Sally. In his palm was a petite ruby heart shaped box which he slowly prised open with his other hand, reavealing the most exquisite ring with several diamonds set in it.

"Sally Armstrong, would you do me the most amazing honour and become my wife, to cherish and love forever?" Callum spoke in the sweetest, loving tone that Sally had ever heard him speak in.

The tears came thick and fast, blurring her vision, and she was unable to stop them. For the first time in ages, she properly smiled. She swore she could see tears welling in her lover's eyes too. She almost threw herself at him, embracing him so tightly that Callum thought she would never let go.

Outside, Ben was watching the pair, and as Callum had produced the ring, he too had shed a tear. He didn't hear Mel's footsteps as she came back from being checked over.

"Oi, I saw that, Gayle." She teased him.

"So I'm not made of stone." He retorted in the same tone back at her.

"So, what just happened then?"

"Stone popped the question, I think."

"_Seriously?_ And?" Mel asked

"I think Sally's too shocked to..." Ben broke off as Mel silenced him with a wave of her hand.

The silence around them was so complete that even though it had been whispered, both Ben and Mel heard it clearly enough. A single word that would change all their lives forever...

**One word. **

**Just a single, simple word.**

"_Yes."_


End file.
